VOA慢速英语2019 苹果推出全新的TV、新闻和信用卡服务(在线收听

Apple Announces New TV Service, Expanded News, Credit Card

Apple has announced several new product offerings, including television and gaming services, an expanded news app and a credit card. The new services were announced this week during a launch event at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

苹果公司推出了多个新产品,包括电视和游戏服务、扩展的新闻应用以及信用卡服务。这些全新服务于本周在加州库比蒂诺苹果总部举行的发布会上公布。

The event marked a clear new direction by the technology company, as it seeks to expand its offerings in answer to dropping demand for its iPhone.

这场发布会标志着科技公司苹果将迎来新方向,寻求扩大其服务以应对iPhone手机的需求下滑。

Past Apple launch events centered mainly on new devices ready for release. But unlike at earlier events, several of the announcements this week did not include exact launch dates or pricing information.

以前的苹果发布会主要聚焦即将推出的新设备。但是与之前不同的是,本周举行的发布会公布了一系列消息,但并不包括具体的发布日期和定价信息。

One of the new offerings will increase the number of channels available on the company’s existing Apple TV service. The new lineup will include popular channels that people often get through cable television providers. The company says the new choices can be bought individually on demand, much like how its iTunes service works. The offerings can be watched on any Apple devices.

其中一项新服务是,苹果公司将增加目前Apple TV服务可收看的频道数量。新增频道将包括人们一般通过有线电视提供商收看的热门频道。苹果公司表示,新增选择可按需求单独购买,这与iTunes的服务原理非常类似。这一最新视频服务可在任何苹果设备上收看。

The company said the new Apple TV was designed to bring many channels, shows and movies from different places together, into one searchable app. For example, people already using services like Amazon’s Prime Video, Hulu or ESPN+ can use the new system.

苹果公司表示,新Apple TV旨在将不同来源的更多频道、节目和电影整合进一个可搜索应用中。比如,使用亚马逊Prime Video、Hulu或ESPN+服务的用户现在可以用这个新系统收看视频。

The new Apple TV app will be available in May.

全新的Apple TV应用将在5月上线。

In addition, Apple announced it will launch its own television and movie streaming service called Apple TV+. The company said the subscription service will include Apple-produced programming and movies only available for its users. Many industry experts see this offering as a direct effort to compete with major international streaming services like Netflix.

除此之外,苹果宣布将推出自已的影视流媒体服务Apple TV+。苹果公司表示,这个订阅服务将涵盖苹果制作的节目和电影,仅苹果用户可以浏览。许多业内专家将这一服务视为苹果与网飞等主要流媒体服务商展开直接竞争。

To introduce the service, Apple invited several Hollywood stars to announce their new television projects that will launch on Apple TV+. Among stars attending were Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Star Wars director J.J. Abrams also announced upcoming Apple TV+ projects.

为了介绍这项服务,苹果邀请了多位好莱坞明星,宣布他们将在Apple TV+上发布的最新电视计划。出席发布会的明星包括奥普拉·温弗瑞、瑞希·威瑟斯彭、詹妮弗·安妮斯顿和史蒂夫·卡瑞尔。获得过奥斯卡最佳导演的史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格和《星球大战》导演J·J·艾布拉姆斯也宣布了将在Apple TV+上推出的计划。

Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the event that the company has always believed “deeply in the power of creativity.” He said one goal of Apple TV+ is to show the work of some of the world’s greatest creators and performers.

苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆·库克在发布会上表示,公司一直“坚信创新的力量”。他说,Apple TV+服务的其中一个目标是展示世界上一些最优秀创作者和表演者的作品。

“So we partnered with the most thoughtful, accomplished and award-winning group of creative visionaries who have ever come together in one place to create a new service unlike anything that's been done before. Apple TV+”

“所以,我们和最深思熟虑、才华卓越、屡获殊荣且有创意的远见者们合作,这些人聚集到一起,创造一个此前从未出现过的全新服务——Apple TV+。”

Cook said Apple TV+ will be available this fall on the Apple TV app. No pricing was announced. Winfrey, who spoke at the event, described Apple as “the company that has reimagined how we communicate.”

库克表示,Apple TV+服务将于今年秋天在Apple TV应用中推出。但是他并未宣布定价信息。温弗瑞在发布会上发表讲话,她形容苹果公司“重新定义了我们的交流方式”。

“I am proud and honored to be a part of this new platform, where I can connect with people around the world to share meaningful ways to create positive change.”

“参与这个新平台令我感到骄傲且荣幸,在这里我可以和世界各地的人们进行联系,分享创造积极改变的有意义方式。”

She added that she liked the company’s huge reach. “They’re in a billion pockets, y’all,” she said. That number refers to the estimated 1.4 billion Apple devices in use worldwide. Winfrey announced she is working on two documentaries for Apple TV+ and has plans to launch a worldwide book club with the company.

她还表示,她喜欢苹果公司产品的普及性。她说,“现在它们在10亿人的口袋里”。这一数字指目前全球共有14亿部活跃的苹果设备。温弗瑞宣布她将为Apple TV+制作两部纪录片,并计划和苹果公司共同推出一个全球读书俱乐部。

Apple also announced that its free Apple News app will now come in a pay version called Apple News+. This new service will offer users digital versions of more than 300 magazines and some newspapers for $9.99 each month.

苹果公司还宣布,其免费的Apple News应用将升级为付费新闻应用Apple News+。这一新服务将提供300多家杂志和报纸的数字版内容,费用为每月9.99美元。

The company also used the event to introduce a new credit card, made of titanium, called the Apple Card. The digital version of the card lives on a user’s device in the Apple Wallet app. The physical version has no numbers at all. Apple says the card is protected by Face ID or Touch ID. This means that if it gets stolen, another person should not be able to use it. The card will have no yearly fee and also no late payment fees.

苹果公司还在发布会上介绍了一种由钛金属制成的新型新用卡Apple Card。这种信用卡的数字版本添加在用户设备上的Apple Wallet应用中。物理版本没有卡号。苹果公司表示,这款信用卡由Face ID或Touch ID保护。这意味着,即使信用卡被盗,其他人也不能使用。该信用卡不收取年费,也不收取滞纳金。

The company also announced Apple Arcade, a game subscription service for phones, tablets and desktop computers. The service, which is to launch in the fall, will offer more than 100 games only available to Apple users. The cost was not announced for the service.

苹果公司还推出了Apple Arcade服务,这是一个覆盖手机、平板电脑和台式计算机的游戏订阅服务。该服务将于今年秋天推出,届时将提供只有苹果用户可以畅玩的100余种游戏。这项服务的定价也未在发布会上公布。

Words in This Story

app – n. program for a smartphone or other device that performs a special function

cable – n. set of wires carrying a television signal into people's homes

streaming – n. content being sent to televisions or devices directly from the Internet

subscription – n. paying an amount of money to receive a service or product

accomplished – adj. being skillful or talented i

proud – adj. much pleased; feeling very good about someone or something

platform – n. a program or set of programs that controls the way a computer works and runs other programs

y’all – used as a contraction of you all

digital – n. relating to computer technology, especially the internet

tablet – n. small computing device that is controlled by touching the screen or by using a special pen

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/voa/2019/3/470637.html